was an

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, the Fifth Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku''. These two ships participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, using their aircraft to strafe airfields and provide fighter protection for bombers. On the way back to Japan after Pearl Harbor, the 5th Carrier Division was used to protect the main fleet from American submarines suspected of following the fleet. Additional campaigns in which the 5th Carrier Division took part included the

Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...

and the Indian Ocean raid of 1942. The division experienced success with its aircraft sinking one British carrier and two British cruisers, as well as the American carrier the USS '' Lexington''. During the Coral Sea battle, ''Shōkaku'' was damaged and needed extensive repairs, and both carriers' aviation units took heavy losses, taking the division out of action for several months. As a result, the division was not present at the Battle of Midway. After the Japanese defeat at Midway, ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku'', along with light carrier ''Zuihō'', were redesignated as the

First Carrier Division was an aircraft carrier unit of the Imperial Japanese Navy's First Air Fleet. At the beginning of the Pacific War, Pacific Campaign of World War II, the First Carrier Division consisted of the fleet carriers Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi, ''Ak ...

and the Fifth Carrier Division was permanently dissolved.

Fate

After the 5th was dissolved, ''Shōkaku'' and ''Zuikaku'' would fight on for several years, but neither would survive the war. ''Shōkaku'' was sunk by the American submarine during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Explosions due to aviation fuel (

avgas Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, w ...

) accelerated the sinking, and she took over 1,000 men with her. ''Zuikaku'' would fight on until the

Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf ( fil, Labanan sa golpo ng Leyte, lit=Battle of Leyte gulf; ) was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fou ...

when, as flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy with Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa on board, she was attacked and sunk by US carrier aircraft, taking 800 men with her, along with the light carrier ''Zuiho''. Ozawa survived and transferred his flag to the light cruiser . By that point in the war, the Japanese Navy was hampered by a lack of fuel and experienced pilots, and thus the battle would be one-sided.

Organization

References

* * *''Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku'', , (USA) *''The Maru Special'', Ushio Shobō (Ushioshobokojinsha Co., Ltd.), Tōkyō, Japan. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 6, ''Aircraft carrier Shōkaku, Zuikaku'', 1976. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 12, ''Special type destroyers III'', 1978. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 38, ''Japanese aircraft carriers II'', 1980. **Japanese Naval Vessels No. 41, ''Japanese destroyers I'', 1980. **Warship Mechanism Vol. 3, ''Mechanisms of Japanese 29 Aircraft Carriers'', 1981. * ''

Senshi Sōsho The , also called the , is the official military history of Imperial Japan's involvement in the Pacific War from 1937 to 1945. The task of compiling the official account of the Japanese involvement in World War II began in October 1955 with the ope ...

'', Asagumo Shimbun, Tōkyō, Japan. ** Vol. 91, ''Combined Fleet #1, "Until outbreak of the war"'', 1975 ** Vol. 80, ''Combined Fleet #2, "Until June 1942"'', 1975 {{Imperial Japanese Navy warship units 5 Units of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942